The events in the last few years have had significant and lasting impacts on business in general and restructuring in particular, with the latter referring to the various options available for firms experiencing difficulties. European economies, hit by both the upheavals caused by the health crisis and geopolitical tensions, have also been a

Suspension of managers’ duty to file for insolvency proceedings

Many companies will likely be forced to deal with debts and liquidity issues – one must act smart and early to keep the problems from snowballing.

Advice to creditors: stop the snowballing effect

Persons entitled to file an insolvency application and insolvency (IS) proceedings entry criteria: 

1) A non-secured creditor or a secured creditor (regarding the non-secured part of the claim), in cases where:

Preconditions for starting an LPP:

1) no liquidation initiated against the debtor;

2) in the previous 5 years, the debtor has not implemented and completed LPP;

1) Debtor prepares OCLPP plan & obtains approval from creditors:

- more than 50% non-secured creditors (total of principal claims);

- at least 2/3 secured creditors (total of principal claims).

Who may not vote (on approval the plan): persons in the same group of companies, shareholders (natural persons) with decisive influence and persons who acquired claims against the debtor from the aforementioned persons within the previous 2 years.

2) Debtor and creditors agree on supervisor's candidate during OCLPP.

In practice there a numerous uncertainties in relation to civil liability of management bodies of companies, scope of such liability, and related matters. On 4 April 2017, considering the current situation, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Lithuania (the Supreme Court or SC) published the first overview of case law in relation to application of the norms of civil law regulating civil liability of management bodies of companies in the case law of the Supreme Court.

Generally speaking, wrongful trading is the special form of liability where a director of a company is liable for damages towards the creditors for the mismanagement of an insolvent company.

A special feature of the institution of wrongful trading is, that it may give rise not only to the liability of the director of the company but also to the liability of the director, management, employee of the parent company or even of the grandparent company (so called shadow director).

Lietuvos Aukščiausiasis Teismas 2016 m. lapkričio 25 d. nutartyje susistemino kriterijus, pagal kuriuos sprendžiama, kada už žalingus įmonei sandorius kreditoriams galėtų būti priteisiama žalos atlyginimas iš įmonės vadovo ir/ar jos akcininkų.

The ruling of the Supreme Court of Lithuania of 25 November 2016 established a system of criteria to decide in which situation the manager of the company and/or its shareholders may be ordered to pay to its creditors a compensation for damages caused by transactions that are harmful to the company.